Who Supports Statehood for Puerto Rico?

Who supports statehood? A majority of Puerto Rico voters. That’s the easy — and the most important — answer.

But we can go beyond that. Who, in greater detail, supports statehood for Puerto Rico?

Members of the statehood party

The PNP, the party that traditionally supports statehood, still supports statehood. Both the Resident Commissioner, Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, and the new Governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi, are members of the Island’s statehood party.

Puerto Rico’s Republican Party…and Democratic Party

The major national political parties, Democrats and Republicans, have local organizations in the territory as they do in the states. Both of these  organizations endorsed statehood in 2020. Gonzalez-Colon is a Republican and Pierluisi is a Democrat.

Members of other parties

The PNP candidates for the major political roles in Puerto Rico won. Yet the number of votes for statehood was much larger than the number of votes for either Pierluisi or Gonzalez-Colon. This tells us that voters who supported other parties also voted for statehood.

Candidates from other parties

Candidates and activists from the Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana (MVC or Citizens Victory Movement), a new political party, actively campaigned for the “YES” option. Jose Bernardo Marquez, a candidate for the MCV and a statehood supporter, was elected as an at-large representative.

Members of the United States Congress

Republicans like Rob Bishop, Don Young, and Marco Rubio as well as Democrats like Jose Serrano, Stephanie Murphy, and Chuck Schumer — among many others on both sides of the aisle — all support statehood for Puerto Rico.

Presidents from both parties

Gerald Ford, George Bush, Barack Obama, and Ronald Reagan were among the U.S. presidents who have spoken up for Puerto Rico statehood.  Congress, not the president, makes the decision.

Americans in general

Polls in the United States in general as well as in states like Florida and New York have found that Americans generally support statehood for Puerto Rico.

The infographic above shows that “Yes” on statehood wins in polls conducted by everyone from Gallup to Fox News.

Congress must respect the vote and take action to admit Puerto Rico.